The Bet

In the dancing firelight, Tiffany's beautiful face glowed with a hazy allure.

Malone couldn't help averting his gaze slightly before asking softly, "Want some more smoked meat?"

"Mm..."

Tiffany answered softly.

Tiffany really wasn't full yet. She'd been hungry all day.

But that wasn't the only reason. The girl knew she didn't need to be polite with Mr. Malone. That would only make him feel she was keeping her distance, and it might also make him worry about her health.

Besides, Tiffany thought she should eat her fill—that way, she could recover from her injuries as quickly as possible.

And when Mr. Malone took her and fled, having enough strength would let her be as little of a burden to him as possible.

Malone handed her the freshly roasted piece of smoked meat in his hand. She took it gently and continued eating in small bites.

"Witchcraft? What's that? It sounds pretty interesting."

When Malone turned around, he happened to hear Kaldara ask.

"Witchcraft is..."

Malone carefully recalled what he knew about this world.

The world of Azeroth had all sorts of wondrous spells. For example, the mages of Dalaran could turn other living creatures into sheep, while dragons could take mortal form without losing their power.

The Trolls, one of the oldest races in this world, also had wondrous magic.

Troll Witch Doctors could brew highly lethal voodoo potions from herbs. They could also wield the power of the Loa through pacts with beings that were part beast and part god.

In Malone's memory, Zul'jin was a powerful figure. Besides being skilled in combat, he could also use some forms of witchcraft.

Malone explained what he knew about witchcraft to Kaldara, of course remembering to add, "Don't ask me how I know. I just do. Believe it or not, that's up to you."

Malone ended his explanation with that.

Kaldara seemed to believe him, though.

"Interesting... You can turn into a bear? Or an eagle? Interesting... I'd really like to see that for myself."

But Malone's words seemed to have the opposite effect. All Kaldara had to say was how excited he was.

"Anyway... sigh... just be careful, all right?"

Malone hadn't expected Kaldara to be such a fighter, too. He realized he couldn't stop the man, so all he could do was sigh and let it go.

"Don't worry, Maicomarlon. Maybe next time, I'll be the one to cut off Zul'jin's head."

Kaldara declared confidently.

If the man hadn't been fumbling around like a clumsy cook, trying to pull the slightly burnt piece of smoked meat off the longsword he'd been using as a grill, Malone might have thought he looked pretty impressive.

But as things stood...

Please don't. If you do that, you might as well just die...

Malone thought to himself.

Kill Zul'jin? How much would that affect the flow of time in Azeroth? Maybe the entire Horde would split apart. And then...

Wouldn't the Bronze Guardian Dragon Nozdormu kill Malone in no time flat?

"Maicomarlon is right. You should be careful and try not to go off on your own."

Teron Gorefiend said.

"Fine. Since you're all saying that... I won't go off alone."

Kaldara agreed.

That really surprised Malone. He hadn't expected Kaldara to agree so readily. That wasn't like him at all.

And Kaldara was certainly keeping up his end of the bargain. His next words made Malone realize that the overconfident Fireblade Blademaster was still the same as ever.

"I won't go off alone. I'll stay with you all. That way, when I cut off Zul'jin's head, you'll all be amazed!"

Kaldara said without a hint of modesty.

"Forget it. You might as well go off alone. If you're always around me, you'll scare Tiffany."

Malone refused in no uncertain terms.

Teron Gorefiend, however, had a different opinion. "That might work. If Zul'jin comes looking for a fight, I'll help you."

It was rare for Teron Gorefiend to say something so considerate, but Kaldara didn't appreciate it at all.

"I don't need your help. Just stand there and watch when the time comes."

Kaldara said.

"Fine. Then I'll collect your remains."

Teron Gorefiend replied in all seriousness.

"You really have that little faith in me?"

Kaldara was deeply offended.

"I have more faith in Zul'jin."

Teron Gorefiend said earnestly.

"Then I'll beat him right in front of you! I'll show you how strong a Fireblade Blademaster is!"

Kaldara said angrily, feeling that he'd been underestimated.

Malone savored the roast meat in his hand as he watched Teron Gorefiend and Kaldara bicker.

Behind Malone, Tiffany's faint, steady breaths and the soft sounds of her eating occasionally broke through the noisy atmosphere, a stark contrast to the commotion.

Teron Gorefiend remained calm, and the calmer he was, the angrier Kaldara became.

What if...

A thought suddenly occurred to Malone.

What if he weren't a transmigrator, but a native of Azeroth—a Shadow Council Warlock killed by Orgrim, then resurrected by Gul'dan as a Death Knight? Maybe...

Maybe a life like this wouldn't be so bad?

If that were the case, he could follow Teron Gorefiend to attack the human kingdoms in the north without a second thought, then retreat with him in defeat to the world of Draenor...

They could make a comeback together, open the Dark Portal again, and return to Azeroth; they could die together at the Black Temple...

Maybe he'd meet Kaldara, maybe he wouldn't. Either way, it wouldn't be a bad thing, because the man was sometimes likable and sometimes so aggravating you wanted to grind your teeth.

Of course, if that were the case, he wouldn't have met Tiffany—the beautiful, kind, and brave human girl.

If Malone felt even the slightest bit of relief at being cast into Azeroth, facing an unknown fate that could end at any moment, it was surely because of Tiffany.

Malone wasn't lovesick, but he thought a girl like Tiffany deserved to have a knight do everything in his power to protect her.

Malone wasn't a knight, but he was willing to fill in for one for a while.

"Hey, Maicomarlon, what do you think?"

Kaldara's voice pulled Malone back to reality.

"What?"

Malone asked, completely bewildered. He hadn't been paying attention to what Teron Gorefiend and Kaldara had just said.

"Teron and I made a bet. I say I can beat Zul'jin, and he says I can't... Which side are you betting on?"

Kaldara said angrily.